Summer Rain
by FFAMasquerade2005
Summary: I played along for old times' sake and had said in the loudest voice I could muster that "I was the Great Maid Arianna with her faith full steed and fighting alongside her husband Robin of Locksley and his merry men."
1. Here

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that seems familiar in anyway shape or form. Even if you do sue you won't get much, I'm a poor starving college student.

Well it's been waay to long since I last wrote anything on here, the last thing I was writing was "At Your Side" a Phantom of The Opera story, and I just sorta forgot about that story and ended up writing myself into a corner and my muses, well I told them to go take an extended vacation. After watching BBC's version of Robin Hood and the movie "The Pillars of The Earth" I have been itching to write a Robin Hood story. I will be "borrowing without permission" as said by Capt Jack Sparrow, a few ideas from here and there. I also will be listing a song list of songs that inspired me for each chapter, something that I have been seeing in one of the many book series I have been reading. I suppose I should introduce my muses, Erik The Phantom of The Opera, Jasper (from Twilight), and Robin of Locksley (the newest addition to the family). I am always open to suggestions and ideas, so just give me a shout and I will see what can be done. Well here goes nothing!

Here's To You

01/17/1208

This will be my first entry into this journal that was given to me by my darling children for Christmas. I am currently the Queen of England and my husband's name is King John, or as the people calls him "the phony King of England". I have two darling children whom I love more than anything in this world, a son named Walter and his twin sister Helen. No one knows that my children are not the true children of King John, they are Robin of Locksley's children. I suppose though I should start at the beginning of this tale and let you decided if I did the right thing or if in the end I am a traitor.

My name is Arianna; I was born and raised in Londonderry Ireland with my older brother Sean. I grew to be 5' 9" with typical red hair that us Irish are known for with a temper to go with it, I had my Ma's dark blue eyes, and my Da's freckles, on an average face. Nothing terribly special ever happened to me during my childhood; I went to school got pretty decent grades, loved my parents and gave them plenty of hell at times, as any child does. Growing up I had always begged my Ma and Da to buy me a horse so I could ride around fighting the evil Prince John beside Robin of Locksley, and help free the Good King Richard from the clutches of Duke Leopold of Austria, just like it was told in the ballads. My parents would just laugh in good nature at me and told me I must be content on helping with the daily chores around the house, and that I could free my Ma from the evil clutches of the Kitchen. I graduated from The National University of Ireland, in Galway in 2010. I had a Major in English Lit and a Minor in Music, my parents and brother were very proud of me, and teased that now I could spend my days fighting side by side with Robin's merry men, helping to free King Richard. I played along for old times' sake and had said in the loudest voice I could muster that "I was the Great Maid Arianna with her faith full steed and fighting alongside her husband Robin of Locksley and his merry men." I remember how we laughed, and my Da mentioned that they had forgotten to give me my graduation gift, and that it should be arriving at any moment. I remember the exact moment that HE came up the drive way, a beautiful Gyspy Vanner, I swear that time stopped still for me! I couldn't believe my eyes, I thought it must be a trick that those pesky fairies playing with me mind, but when I looked again he was still coming up the drive, and I knew instantly that his name should be Pooka, for he was mainly black and had a long wild silver mane that was blowing in the wind, and luminescent golden eyes. I don't think I ever stopped thanking my Ma, Da and brother for my gift every time I talked to them in later times.

Pooka and I went riding every day after I got off work, we would ride across the meadows and down to the beach, listening to Hayley Westenra on my I-Pod, and always looking for an adventure. Most days our adventures were exploring the caves down by sea, or riding out to the meadows and watching the wildlife and imagining what it would be like to visit the middle ages, the time of Knights, Kings and Queens who held power, not the kind of Kings and Queens who are just celebrities as they were in my time. Sometimes Pooka and I would stay out entire nights under the stars during the summer and I would dream the night away. But in the morning the fairy tale would end and it would be back to the real world, back to work and a world that was too loud for my taste.

I worked in a local book store, which with my appetite for knowledge was a dangerous thing. My boss was a nice enough man who seemed to indulge my need for knowledge a little too much, he was always recommending books to me, example one week he had handed me a book called Robin Hood :The English Outlaw Unmasked, it was just what I didn't need, another book, my poor cottage already had book shelves that were over flowing with books. At the rate I was going at, at the time I would have had to sell furniture to buy more book shelves. I suppose that is one of the few things I miss from my time is the availability of books, and my I-tunes. As I write this first entry a certain song keeps playing over and over in my head reminding me of how much I miss my Robin, and truly wishing that someday I can see him again. The song was by a famous young woman named Hayley Westenra it was titled Nada SouSou, the only part that I can remember goes like this:

"_In grief and joy I long for you and your smile  
>Hoping you feel the way I do<br>If only you could find me from where you are  
>I do believe somewhere in time<br>I do believe I will see you once again"_

Well my candle is burning so low that I can barely see this page, what I would give for some electricity and a light bulb. I will have to continue my story at a later time, until then I must find a hiding spot for you my friend.


	2. Summer Sunshine

Summer Sunshine

1/26/1208

I apologize for not writing in this journal sooner. The King had some unexpected visitors come to the castle and celebrations soon followed. My children always enjoy the festivities, just like their mother. They enjoy the music the most they tell me, and can almost always be found at either the bards or bands feet. The music is of course different than what we had playing at home during our parties back home in Ireland. At our parties we had our drinking songs, my favorites was always Drunken Sailor and Spanish Lady, and a mix of more modern music, such as Mean by Taylor Swift, I know her name means nothing to those here, but she was or will be, a famous singer in the future. I used to sing at these summer parties of mine, I was never a professional singer but my friends said I had a pleasant singing voice. There is one particular party that I recall, and looking back on it now it was that night that started everything in motion for my new future.

I had just finished telling several tales of Robin Hood, aka Robin of Locksley and his band of merry men to some of the local children and a few of the adults at the ceili*, when an elderly gentleman approached me and expressed his curiosity as to my enthusiasm for Robin Hood. I will always remember what little Erin, my neighbors' daughter said to the man "Ms. Arianna knows EVERYTHING about Robin Hood! She has a million books about him!" The gentleman had just laughed good naturedly, and needless to say I shooed little Erin away and turned my attention back to the man. I began to explain to him what little Erin had meant, and shared that I did have quite a few books on Robin Hood, but also on that general time period, the middle ages. Just as everyone had their own passions, mine was Robin Hood.

The old man introduced himself as Patrick, and that he was just passing through Ireland in search of someone, and had been invited to the party by my neighbor. Patrick asked if I would min showing him my collection on Robin Hood. I couldn't think of a reason not to show him without being rude, so I took him into my library and let him look around for a few minutes before asking him why he was so interested in my collection, and if he was a historian of some sorts. He started laughing as if I had just told a jest, gasping between breaths that he could be called a historian, but that in this day and age, titles didn't really matter. He wanted to know how long I had been studying the history of the middle ages and Robin of Locksley. At the time it seemed like a reasonable question and had replied that I had been studying that particular time period since I was in eighth grade and as for Robin Hood since early high school. It was just something I had been intrigued by for some time and could never seem to be content with just one source on the subject. I also expressed to him my regret at not ever being able to full fill my silly childhood dream; to go back in time and live these events firsthand, and not just read about them. However no one could go back in time, and even if they were able to go back in time that person may re-write history and everything that we know would be different, yes I am sure that there are events that everyone wishes they could change, but it is quite possible that these events happened for a reason. That maybe, a lesson was needed to be taught with an event, who knew for sure though.

I can still see Patrick's face when I finished speaking; he looked taken aback by my statement. I remember thinking "Oh no, I've said too much! How can I remedy this situation?" When Patrick smiled and told me that on his journey he had met very few people, like myself, who realized that going back in time (in theory of course) was not as glamorous as the stories made it seem. But that my collection was indeed quite impressive and that someday this knowledge might just come in hand, and before I had a chance to question what he meant by that, he simply thanked me for hosting such a fun party and to never stop believing that someday my dream might come true. I watched him walk through the throng of people at the ceili and did not seem him again until years later, in a different time, and in a different place.

After that party life for me went on without anything major happening for quite some time. The memories of the ceili started to blend in with the everyday life, and the strange conversation with Patrick faded away till it was nothing but a distant memory stored in the back of my mind. Then one day towards the end of summer something magical happened. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I had gotten up with the rising sun to finish packing everything that I would need for our annual camping trip, the fog had not yet burnt off but you could hear the birds chirping and smell the morning dew on the grass. After eating some breakfast and feeding Pookah I decided it was time to start loading Pookah up and head off. We reached the clearing, which marked our halfway point, around noon; and I had noticed up ahead something that looked like a window into another forest.

I thought that maybe we were closer than I had originally thought, and urged Pookah forward towards the window. As we approached this window the edges seemed to be made from fairy dust, as they were sparkling in the sunlight. I remember laughing at my-self thinking that indeed those pesky little buggers had decided to play a trick on me, and cause my eyes to see something that wasn't even there! However, the more I sat there on Pookah, the more curios I became and decided to live a little and urged him forward through the window.


	3. Mean

3/25/1208

I write to you in fear my friend, the Kings right hand man, Mark, who is also a spy for me, has told me that the King suspects me of being unfaithful to him, and has started to question some of my maids and other attendants. This is a very delicate accusation, because whatever the King says is law, if he says I am guilty then I will be beheaded, just as Anne Boleyn was. You my friend who are reading this may or may not know the story of Anne Boleyn so I will give you the short version of her story. Anne Boleyn was the second wife of King Henry the VIII, she was born historians believe 1501 and died April was an important figure in history because of her the Church of England and Rome separated, bringing the Church of England under the Kings rule. The short story there is that the Roman Catholic Church would not grant King Henry a divorce from his Queen Consort Catherine, and excommunicated Henry because he decided to marry Anne Boleyn anyways. Historians believe that the accusations were false, and lacked evidence.

So my friend this is why I am frightened, for as you well know the King's word is law, I have no rights as a women, if I was a man it might be slightly different. If I do not tread carefully my life will be no more, and I will never see Robin again, my one true love. The King has also been paranoid recently and is letting his temper get the better of him; I pity the soul who gets caught in his wrath. I believe his is paranoid because his mother, Queen Elanor of Aquitaine, has been rumored to have escaped her castle where she was under house arrest. She has been against Johns reign from the start, and she publicly denied and refused to call her son a King. John could not outright kill his own mother during such a crucial time, and therefore put her under house arrest with a salary that one person could barley live on. John's temper might also be due to the fact that during a public outing he fell off his horse, and now his pride is hurt, and instead of admitting that he fell off he blamed it on his groom and had the poor man beheaded.

I tried asking, as to how the King came upon this idea, but Mark could not tell me. I am to be seen and not heard where ever I go, especially in the presence of the King. I am nothing but arm candy, and I know that if I were with Robin, he would treat me as his equal and never abuse me. But until I get to the bottom of this I must be very careful in how I behave and appear.


	4. Lost?

I know I know, it's been a really long time since I last updated! I had stuffed my muses, Erik and Jasper, into a box for awhile so I could finish college. They were not very happy about it, but they wasted no time in getting their revenge. The bombarded me with ideas for my story and I had no choice but to stay up late and work on them. I was finally happy with they way this chapter turned out, 5-6 pages single space on word (longest chapter yet!). So before Erik and Jasper got anymore wild ideas I decided I would publish it. Please R&R. For songs and information about this chapter and future chapters please visit www (dot) ffamasquerade2005 (dot) wordpress (dot) com

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><p><em><strong>"Hammerhead" <strong>_By The Offspring_  
><em>

_I am the one_  
><em>Camouflage and guns<em>  
><em>Risk my life<em>  
><em>To keep my people from harm<em>

_Authority_  
><em>Vested in me<em>  
><em>I sacrifice<em>  
><em>With my brothers in arms<em>

_Through this doorway_  
><em>What's on the other side<em>  
><em>Never knowing<em>  
><em>Exactly what I'll find<em>  
><em>Locked and loaded<em>  
><em>Voices screaming<em>  
><em>Let's go!<em>  
><em>Come on do it<em>  
><em>Here we go!<em>

_Oh, take a life_  
><em>Ten others may live<em>  
><em>Oh, that's just the way it goes<em>  
><em>Oh, shut my eyes<em>  
><em>It hammers in my head<em>  
><em>Where it'll end<em>  
><em>Nobody knows<em>

_Oh, take a life_  
><em>Ten others may live<em>  
><em>Oh, that's just the way it goes<em>  
><em>It's playing over and over in my head<em>  
><em>Where it'll end<em>  
><em>Nobody knows<em>

_Stay the course_  
><em>Reasonable force<em>  
><em>I believe<em>  
><em>I serve a greater good<em>

_Smoke and dust_  
><em>Enemies are crushed<em>  
><em>Nothing left<em>  
><em>Where a man once stood<em>

_Through this doorway_  
><em>What's on the other side<em>  
><em>Never knowing<em>  
><em>Exactly what I'll find<em>  
><em>Locked and loaded<em>  
><em>Voices screaming<em>  
><em>Let's go!<em>  
><em>But I'm just doing what I'm told<em>

_Oh, take a life_  
><em>Ten others may live<em>  
><em>Oh, that's just the way it goes<em>  
><em>Oh, shut my eyes<em>  
><em>It hammers in my head<em>  
><em>Where it'll end<em>  
><em>Nobody knows<em>

_Oh, take this life_  
><em>Ten others may live<em>  
><em>Oh, that's just the way it goes<em>  
><em>It's playing over and over in my head<em>  
><em>Where it begins<em>  
><em>And where it'll end<em>  
><em>Nobody knows<em>

_Bang, bang, it hammers in my head_  
><em>Bang, bang, it hammers in my head<em>  
><em>Bang, bang, it hammers in my head<em>  
><em>In my head, in my head<em>

_Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death_  
><em>I fear no evil for Thou art with me<em>  
><em>Locked and loaded<em>  
><em>Gonna find my truth<em>  
><em>Now I'm busting through<em>  
><em>All hell breaks loose<em>

_And you can all hide behind your desks now_  
><em>And you can cry, 'teacher come<em>

_help me!'_  
><em>Through you all<em>  
><em>My aim is true!<em>  
><em>My<em>  
><em>My aim is true!<em>  
><em>My aim is true<em>

__4/1/1208

…After Pookah and I stepped through the window, the forest looked exactly the same! Those pesky fairies had indeed played a trick on me; I just laughed at my foolishness and urged Pookah onwards. The forest had always been a favorite place of mine to explore, the gargantuan trees, and being able to see the animals that you normally would not. I know that it sounds cliché but in the forest there was always a certain peacefulness that I couldn't seem to find anywhere else. After sometime of riding through the colossal forest I finally found what looked like a trail that was well used; I turned Pookah onto the trail, assuming that it would take us into a town where I could ask for directions to the camping grounds where I was to meet my friends.

Pookah and I hadn't been on this trail for very long when I heard men shouting and the sound of their horses' hoofs beating upon the ground from behind us. I gently pulled Pookah to a stop and turned around in the saddle to get a look at these men and maybe see if I could figure out why they were being so noisy. The men were dressed in dark clothing that seemed to be tattered and well torn in some areas, and a few of the men's outfits looked like they could use a good wash, and mending. Their clothing reminded me of what the peasant's wore during the medieval ages, and I pondered for a moment if they could be from some sort of medieval fair, for no one wears those types of clothes anymore in the twenty first century. The majority of the men seemed to be in their late twenties early thirties. Their steeds were what caught my attention, they seemed to be of fine breeding, well groomed and fed; quite out of the ordinary for men who's clothes gave them such a rough appearance. The horses also wore elaborately decorated saddles and bridles that glittered in the afternoon sun light. My first thought after taking in the appearance of the men and the horses, was that these men were thieves! As the men approached, Pookah and me, they formed a small circle around us and were making comments to each other about how Pookah would make a fine addition to their small collection. Deciding it was better to act quickly and now, rather than later, I spoke to the men "Excuse me gentlemen, could one of you please tell me which direction and how far the next town is?"

"The next town, is quite a ways to travel to on foot, it might take you a day or so to reach." The man directly in front of me spoke, the others around him burst out laughing when he said this, as if it was some big joke.

"Why would I be traveling on foot, when I have my horse?" I asked looking around the group, trying to see if there might be an opening that Pookah and I could run through if things started to get ugly.

"You would be traveling on foot, because we will be taking your horse and any other valuables we see fit! For he is to fine of a horse for you to have; he belongs with our herd of fine steeds!" The man who was in front of me spoke again, I was starting to think he was the leader of this group of ruffian's since every time he spoke the men looked at him, and so far he had been the only one to speak to me. As he spoke he moved his horse towards Pookah and me, Pookah being the lovely horse that he is snapped at the man's hand as it reached towards his bridle.

"You arrogant beast, I'll teach you some manners before I'm though with you!" The man shouted at Pookah. I grinned and patted Pookah on the neck while murmuring praise to my wonderful horse.

"Sir, you ought to be more cautious when approaching strange animals, you're likely to get hurt." I replied in a mock serious voice, it was all I could do not to start laughing my head off. These men obviously had little to no experience with spirited horses, and if they thought Pookah was bad, they would be shocked at my behavior should they try the same stunt again or something more rash.

"Lady I command that you dismount and hand your beast of a horse over to me at once!" _Would this man ever just shut up and leave me alone?_ I thought to myself, _he is getting on my nerves!_

"Oh? And if I don't what then?" I replied.

"Carson…perhaps it best to leave the lady alone, and continue on before the castle guards catch us" a man to Carson's left spoke up.

"Barney, me think's you doth protest too much, and until I ask for ye's input do not give it so freely!" Carson yelled to Barney. "Wench, I will not tell ye again. Dismount your horse and hand me your valuables and we shall be on our merry way. I have been lenient with you thus far; do not keep trying my patience." He all but growled at me, _the nerve of him!_ I sighed, so he was going to choose the hard way. Well Pookah and I were always ready for some good sport, let the games begin then.

"Carson, I'm assuming that's your name. Here are your problems, A. my horse and I don't want to be separated from each other, and B. you have not asked me, you have ordered me. I do not do well with being told to do something. So I suggested that unless you, and your pathetic excuse for men, are looking for trouble you leave us alone. But if you are itching for a fight well, you'll get one. Pookah and I will not come quietly I can assure you that _sir._"As I said this, I discretely slid my hand into my saddle bag and withdrew a few small red balls, preparing to throw them at any given moment.

"You dare talk to me that way wench; I shall have what I want _woman_, men bring me the horse and do what you want with the _woman_!" Carson barked to his men.

"Bring it boys, catch me if you can!" I then threw the red balls towards the men as they approached me, as the balls exploded a screen of red smoke drifted up in between us and gave me a head start in the chase. Pookah was used to jumping over logs and making sharp turns while running at full speed, I had competed in cross-country equestrianism* with him for many years and we had always finished in the top three. I guided Pookah around the trees, trying to make it as difficult as possible for the horse thieves to follow or even catch us. I kept my eyes trained upon the path ahead of us, not daring to look behind, too many times had I seen riders look behind them only to turn back around and be knocked off their mounts by a low hanging tree branch. I tried focusing my hearing to behind us to figure out how close the thief's were to us. After a few moments of listening and only catching fragments of what was being said, I estimated that they were only a few minutes behind us, not nearly enough time to hide anywhere. I urged Pookah to into a faster gallop to try and put more distance between us, if this didn't work then I was always ready for a fist fight. I threw a pretty decent punch, for a girl, my brother used to say, he never would admit that I threw a better punch than him though.

I had a thought, if I could get just enough distance between us I could circle back on them, through the trees up ahead, and ride though a gap that would surely be in the group therefore causing confusion and giving us more time. _"Come on Pookah, we can do this!" _I silently urged my stallion on. As we neared the tree line where I had planned on circling back we quite literally ran into a group of what appeared to be guards. They had appeared out of nowhere, and I had no time to turn Pookah in another direction or stop him, resulting in the collision of two horses and riders. The guard, who was wearing what looked like an over coat made of black cotton, with a fur cape of some sort, ended up flying off his mount and falling onto the ground, which by the sound he made when he landed, was not very soft. I looked at the guard on the ground and apologized for running into him, using the little time I had before the horse thieves caught up to me to explain why I was in such a hurry. I wasn't able to get two sentences out when the said thief's showed up cursing at me for making them chase me, when they stopped mid sentence because I was talking with the guards.

The man that I had knocked to the ground took one look at the men who had just shown up and shouted to his fellow members "Arrest these thieves at once, along with the woman!...She is most likely in league with them" he added almost as an afterthought.

"What! No, no, no you've got it all wrong sirs, I am not with these thieves's, they tried to steal my horse and other items!" I started to explain, when the guard closest to me urged his horse forward and backhanded me. "How dare you speak out of turn women, have you no manners?"

I was in shock; did he really just hit me? Oh man, if this man thought he could get away with that he had another thing coming. "Sir," I hissed at him as I wiped the blood off the corner of my mouth, "if you strike me again, you will no longer have a hand to hit with!" He made a move to strike me again, but he wasn't fast enough as I had pulled his dagger from his saddle and held it to his wrist. The man who had previously been on the ground had gotten up sometime during the scuffle and was now in front of the man who had his wrist up against the dagger.

"Gisborne! I said…arrest those men! I said nothing about harassing the women. Do your duty before I let her use the dagger on you."

"But Sherriff, you said…" Gisborne never did finish his original sentence because the said Sherriff gave him a look that could defiantly have killed, that is if looks could kill. Gisborne just gave a defeated sigh a finished with a "Yes m'lord. Men, you heard him." And with a shout and heal to their mounts side the men were off after the horse bandits.

As the Sherriff's men went to round up the remaining horse thief's he finished brushing himself off and re mounted his horse. Now that all the commotion had died I had a chance to study the man I had knocked off his steed. He was an older man, his gray hair and beard gave that much away, he looked to be late forties early fifties. He wore a black cloak decorated with a fur collar, a black shirt, black riding pants and you guessed it black riding gloves; '_did this guy have a thing for black or something?'_ I wondered to my-self. His stallion looked to be a Lipizzaner, dark grey in color, maybe 15/15.5 hands, a peppered mane and tail with dark brown eyes. "I apologize for my men's behavior earlier lady…"

"Arianna O'Conner." I stated

"…Lady O'Conner, I assure you it won't happen again" The Sherriff replied.

"I would hope not, for your men's sake Sherriff. I may be a women but I know how to yield a dagger fairly well, as you saw, and I will not back down when provoked." I told him a no nonsense tone (oh the trouble my tongue would get me into in later times). He just looked slightly annoyed that I was still talking to him, and not in the least bit concerned, which looking back on it now should have been my first warning to be wary of this man.

"Lady, does it look like I need reminding of what you can do to my men? A clue no!" he replied in a disgusted tone of voice. '_Fine, I won't warn you next time. Let's see if he will at least tell me where I am, and maybe how I can get to the area where I am to meet my friends.'_ I remember thinking to my-self.

"Excuse me Sherriff, while we are waiting on your men, could you tell me where we are? I seem to have taken a wrong turn a ways back and am unsure what direction I need to go from here to get to Messaline*." The Sherriff looked at me like I had grown a second head when I asked him about getting to Messaline!

"Lady, I know not of anyplace called Messaline, however you are currently in Sherwood Forest, and I suggest you accompany my men and I back to the castle where we can finish sorting this mess out, and to better protect you from the clutches of the notorious thief Robin Hood."

'_Robin Hood? Now I've heard it all! Sherwood Forest, Wench, horse thieves, Robin Hood, Castles! What next Prince John and Maid Marain? I think these people are taking the whole medieval time re-enactment way too far'._ "Sherriff, you can drop the act. I am glad that you are enjoying this re-enactment of medieval times, but I just want to know how to get to Messaline. Plus everyone who has ever studied history knows that while a 'Robin' did exist in the thirteenth possibly fourteenth century. The Robin Hood you seem to be speaking of was a made up character who appeared as early as the fifteenth century in a four line rhyme" I stated.

"Lady I think you hit your head at some point on your journey for I tell you there is no place called Messaline. This 'Robin Hood' that I speak of does exist and has been a thorn in my side for years. What does a woman know of history, which is something only men can understand?" As he finished scolding me, Gisborne, and the rest of his men trotted back up the path towards us with the thieves in tow. Neither party looked happy to be in their current position.

"Ahh, Gisborne, it seems you can do something right for once! Now that you are back we shall head back to the castle and finish sorting out this mess that we seem to have found ourselves in. If we are lucky these men might reveal where that pesky Robin Hood is either hiding, or will strike next. If there is one thing I hate more than women who prattle on thinking they are superior to men, it's Robin Hood. By the way, Gisborne, I am making it your responsibility to make sure our new friend Lady Arianna stays with our group in addition to the men you caught. If any of them escape I will make sure to report it to Prince John and emphasize that it was your fault!" The Sherriff then turned his horse around and started riding back towards the castle, I assumed. Before I could recover from being insulted, Gisborne had produced some rope and hand bound my hands to my saddle horn, and was slipping a lead rope over Pookah's neck.

"Bastard, this isn't fair! I didn't do anything; I thought we established that I wasn't with these bandits. I'm neither a friend nor enemy. I'm Switzerland." I shouted at the Sherriff. I got no reply from the Sherriff, just a threat from Gisborne, that if I couldn't 'hold my tongue' he would gladly gag me. I admit that, that shut me up pretty quickly. I had no desire to be gagged like some lowly prisoner. '_Gag me? Ohhh just you wait until I get my hands free. I'm going to enjoy beating the crap out of you all too much!' _I seethed to myself.

We started to follow the Sherriff up the path, us captives being silent, weather from shame or anger, with only the soldiers talking to each other occasionally. After riding for what seemed like hours we abruptly stopped. Before I could ask why we stopped riding, the forest went silent, and I heard from up above in the trees a man yell "Sherriff, how nice of you to stop for us! Now if you will be so kind as to unload the gold that you have stolen from my people, and let the lady go, my men and I will let you pass unharmed."

"Robin Hood! I've been expecting you, guards, kill him, and bring me his head!" The Sherriff yelled.

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><p>Cliff hanger... but hey at least now she meets up with Robin and now the story will be able to follow the tv series plot more or less! Again for songs and information about this chapter and future chapters please visit www (dot) ffamasquerade2005 (dot) wordpress (dot) com<p> 


	5. Stumbled Beginnings

"Dear Sherriff, you seem to not understand that in order to get my head you would first have to capture me, and as seeing as I'm still standing here I'd say you weren't able to capture me!" Robin ended his statement with his hands on his hips and a smirk.

'Oh boy, someone isn't cocky at all…I hope he's not all talk at this moment, I would really hate to have to go back to the castle with someone's head in a saddle bag, yuck!' I thought to my self.

The Sherriff's men, including Gisborne, and Robin's men were fighting each other with quite a passion, swords, axes, fists, bows and arrows…you name it they were using it on each other, I was enthralled! This was way different than what I had seen in the movies, the hostility between the two parties was extreme, it seemed so real. These guys were awesome actors, I almost could believe that they really hated each other and wanted to cause harm to each other (at this point I still believed that this was L.A.R.P, Live Action Role Playing, or a re-enactment of some sorts). With all the men fighting this left Pookah and I forgotten in the midst, as Gisborne had cut the rope that was tied to his saddle horn and simply let go of Pookahs lead rope. All too soon the fighting came too close to Pookah and I. One of the Sherriff's men had one of Robin's men backing up against us. The poor man had no-where to go, so I decided he could use a little help, if nothing else to keep the fighting away from me since my hands were still bound.

"Pookah, get the solider, get 'em boy!" Pookah, being the good horse that he was, bit the soldier's hand that was closest to his mouth. The soldier was not happy, and redirected his attention to us. I hadn't quite thought of everything trough and cursed myself for not having free hands to grab a weapon with. Luckily the man that I just saved returned the favor by knocking the solider over the head with the handle of a short sword.

"Thanks" I said to him, "now you wouldn't mind cutting my bounds would you?"

"There ya go lass, now if you'll excuse me…" and with that my hands were free and he was off fighting the other soldiers. With my hands free I was able to grab Pookah's reins and get a quick look at was going on, there were men who looked to be bleeding pretty badly, and others who looked to be unconscious. _'Toto, I don't think were in Kansas anymore"_ I thought. These men weren't acting this was real! These men truly hated each other and they were after each other's blood! Well I wasn't going to just sit here and let the Sherriff possibly beat Robin and his men, I could help fight or at least provided a distraction long enough for Robin's gang to gain the upper hand. All I needed was a weapon, preferably a sword, but anything at this point would work I figured. I remembered the man who lay in a heap on the ground next to Pookah and I, he wouldn't need his sword anytime soon it appeared. I quickly dismounted and grabbed the sword and re-mounted; now we were ready to kick some Sheriff ass.

I wasn't picky about which solider I fought, I just picked the nearest on to me and urged Pookah forward towards the man.

"Oy, you there, up here!" I yelled at him as I brought my sword down upon him. He blocked my attack halfway, and tried to unseat me by pushing up and to the side with his sword while it was against mine. Pookah wasn't too happy with the man for raising his sword at me and promptly bit him, hard.

"Damn it! You bloody animal, you'll pay for that." The soldier shouted at him. He balled his fist up and was about to hit Pookah when I turned his head to the side so that his rear end would swing out knocking the soldier off balance and causing him to fall to the ground. I then gave the command for Pookah to rear up and paw the air with his hoofs for a few moments right in front of the soldier. Needless to say the man ran away, and if he had had a tail it would have been tucked under him. I was feeling pretty confident of myself at that moment in time. _'One down…ten to go…not a problem since there seems to be six total of Robin's gang, and now Pookah and me.'_

The fighting was extreme, I don't know how long we were fighting each other before the sheriff called his men to retreat back to the castle. As he was riding away, like a coward, he shouted to Robin "You haven't seen the last of me _Hood_, I will have your head on a silver platter!"

"He's always saying that Robin, shouldn't you be a little bit concerned?" a man next to Robin said. This man, who was slightly shorter than Robin and had blonde shoulder length hair, with a blonde beard to match and dark green eyes, had a good point in my opinion, because Robin didn't look the least bit concerned, just the opposite in fact.

"Much, my friend, do not worry about the sheriff's empty threats. He hasn't caught me yet, and if he does I'll run him through with my sword or I'll shoot him with my bow. Now quit worrying about that, and let us find out who our friend is" He finished motioning towards me.

All eyes were suddenly on me, and not all of the gazes seemed friendly. As I stalled in what to say I looked around me to get a better look at Robins gang. I already knew who Robin and Much were, now I needed to figure out who the rest of the gang was, I really wanted to meet Marian, but I didn't see her among the men. Each man wore similar type of clothing, very earthy tones, mainly different shades of green and browns; however, one of the men wore color's that honestly reminded me of baby poop (not attractive colors). I recognized the young man in the baby poop colors (I would have to figure out a different way of describing him, I couldn't very well go around calling him 'the guy in the baby poop color clothes') as the man who cut my bonds during the battle. The more I thought about it, the more he reminded me of Will in the BBC series of Robin Hood. So if he was Will, then that left, Djaq, Alan, Little John, Kate, Marian and Friar Tuck for the Outlaws. The Sheriffs men, and the people at the castle/ court were a different story all together. I was trying to rack my brain for what each person had looked like in the series so I might be able to figure out who was who, when Robin spoke directly to me.

"Lady, I thank you for your help in this battle against the sheriff, but with times being as they are we have to be careful. What is your name, and where are you from?" he asked me.

"You can drop the 'Lady' title, I'm just an average person no titles, nothing special. My name is…" I didn't finish my sentence because someone had snuck up behind Pookah and startled him, causing him to rear up and nearly unseat me.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, grabbing onto his main in order to keep my seat. "Pookah, easy boy, shhh, settle down boy…" But Pookah wasn't listening and I was going to get thrown any second if I didn't do something. The outlaws took a few steps back to make sure they were well out of the way of flying hooves. I quickly swung out of the saddle and grabbed Pookahs halter and managed to pull his head down to bring his body down. "Whoa boy! Steady, steady now…" After what seemed like a lifetime I finally got him steady and to relax. Now that I had my horse under control I looked around ready to lay into who ever had run up behind him. Whom I saw I wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman, it took my brain a few seconds to realize this must be Djaq! Short, petit, dark skin, dark hair, this person defiantly had the look of a foreigner to them. Seeing as 'Jaq' was the only one in the series to look and be a 'forgiver' who else could it be?

"Don't ever run up behind a horse like that! He could have easily kicked you in the head either killing you, Djaq, or in the best case knocking you unconscious. I would think that if you've been with Robin long enough you would know how to act around horses…Oy vey! Any who, as I was saying before, my name is Arianna O'Conner" I wasn't about to say where I was from; I already learned my lesson there with Gisborne and the Sheriff.

"Lady Arianna, I apologize for Djaq's behavior" Robin said as he started walking towards me "but how did you know that was Djaq?" he finished as he was right in front of me. He could be intimidating when he was up close like this, with his blue grey eyes starting at me, almost like he could see into me…and he was tall, taller than I originally thought him to be, with his mousey brown hair and beard…

"I'll repeat the question for you Lady Arianna, how did you **know** that was Djaq?" He emphasized the know…

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Robin. Look all I want to know is how to get back to where I came from. I'm no threat I promise you that, you just have to believe me" I started to back away from him, and indiscreetly moved my left hand up to Pookah's main, being ready to jump up into the saddle and ride away if need be. I was getting nervous if he chose to he could turn me into the sheriff, so much for the hospitality that he was supposed to be famous for.

Robin frowned at my answer, not what he wanted to hear. "Lady if you are working for the sheriff we will gladly return you to him..."

"Robin, I don't think she works for the Sheriff, Gisborne had her hands bound and a lead rope around her horse when the fight broke out." Will interrupted Robin.

"Will if that was true then how dose she know who Djaq is?" Robin argued.

"Umm Robin..." Much started to interrupt Robin.

"Much, not now!" Robin said turning to his partner. Just as Robin turned back to Will to continue his argument, there was a shout from where Arianna had been and then a cloud of dust as the horse and rider flew by them. "Damn it, she IS working for the sheriff, why else would she flee?" he said as he ran to the nearest horse and mounted it. "Well come on don't just stand there, we must get her back here. Will and Much you come with me Djaq and John you stay here in case she comes back. If she does come back restrain her and don't let her go until I have a chance to get the facts from her".

I looked back, my heart pounding in my chest Robin was faster on his feet than I gave him credit for. I hadn't thought that he would catch up to me so quickly, I had no idea where I was running to or what I would do once I lost Robin. This was not how my trip was supposed to have turned out! It was supposed to have been a fun relaxing time with my friends, and even if I going back in time or to another plane was part of the plan, it wasn't supposed to end up with me being chased by the one whom I had admired as a literary figure all my life. He was supposed to be charming, witty, and be known for his great hospitality.

"Lady Arianna, stop! I want to know the facts about how you knew Djaq and who you are spying for!" Robin shouted from behind me. He was getting much to close for my liking. I turned back around in my saddle to face forward and was suddenly thrown from my saddle, hitting my head on something hard when I landed on the ground. I couldn't move and I couldn't get enough air to my lungs it seemed. As I lay there unable to move I heard voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Then the last thing I saw before my world went black was Robin's concerned face leaning over me, saying something.

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><p>I know I know I know...My muses have been punishing me enough...They thought it would be funny to inspire me to write a one shot for Les Miserables...I didn't write a single word down, and it was driving me nuts! But finally the idea faded away and I have decided for the next few days I will make my self sit down and write at least one decent chapter a day. I want to leave you with something that a author wrote in his book, I thought it made a lot of sense and I am finding that this is very true for my story.<p>

"The next problem was larger. One of the greatest pitfalls for writers of historical fiction is to establish how much truth-and how much fiction- is contained in their sources, which should (but may not always) show scrupulous respect for the facts"-Antoni Garrido: The Corpse Reader


	6. Bird Calls

Chapter 6

"Damn that woman!" He cursed to himself. She had pulled a fast one on him racing away on her horse as he was arguing with Will about if this woman, Arianna, was trustworthy or not. Her running away made it appear all to clear to him that she was indeed a spy, but the question now was who was she spying for? Was it The Sheriff, prince John, or someone else entirely? He knew he had to find out and fast, before she could return to her employers and report back what ever information she had gathered, and another question plagued his mind, how long had she been spying on them? He was usually pretty good about noticing people and things out of the ordinary, it was something he had picked up while fighting for King Richard in the holy land, and had saved his life many times. But he couldn't remember ever seeing Arianna before, at least here in England, maybe he had seen her while on his travels? Whatever the case may be he wouldn't find his answers simply by chasing her, he had to catch her and question her.

Robin shook himself from his musings and noticed that he was gaining on Arianna, and took in the look of sheer terror on her face when she turned around in her saddle to see how far behind he was from her. She was a good rider, he had to admit that, almost as good as him. They were both urging their steeds over fallen trees, and around bends, but Robin had the advantage, he knew this forest like the back of his hand. He was there fore able to steer Arianna, more or less, the direction he wanted her to go. The problem with the forest though is that things can change in a second and unless you are playing attention you won't notice that change until it is to late.

Robin watched in horror as Arianna was thrown from her saddle by a low tree branch. She flew through the air and landed on her back hitting her head on some of the rocks that littered the forest floor in this area. As Robin slowed his horse down as he neared her he noticed a pool of blood forming around her head, and that she seemed to be gasping for air. Robin hoped she hadn't broken any bones, just had the wind knocked out of her.

Dismounting he approached the still figure that was just lying there on the ground struggling to breathe, "Arianna, can you hear me?" he asked, bending over her. He took quick survey of her form, he didn't see any bones sticking out, and nothing looked to be broken. He noticed the sheer look of terror in her eyes, and immediately felt guilty, he hadn't meant to scare her, he had just wanted answers.

"Arianna, don't be frightened, no one is going to hurt you. Can you tell me if anything feels broken?" he asked. She didn't respond. 'Not a good sign' he thought. He went to lift her off the ground but as he leaned over her she flinched as if he was going to strike her. "Arianna, don't be afraid, no one is going to hurt you. Just hang in there and we will get you to a healer soon." He noticed that Arianna's eyes were closed now, but her breathing was still labored, she had slipped into the world of unconsciousness. He tore a strip of cloth from his tunic and wrapped it around her head, as a make shift bandage, it would have to do until he could get her to a healer.

Just as he had mounted his horse with the woman in his arms, his comrades, Will and Much rode up behind him. They took one look at Robin and the limp form of Arianna and immediately concern was etched in their faces.

"Master, is she..." Much asked, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"No. But she hit the branch pretty hard and then hit her head on the rocks. I don't know if anything is broken, but her head is bleeding pretty badly, I must get her to a healer. I'll take her to Marian's, you two fetch that beast of hers and bring it to the camp. Tell the others I will be back once she's been taken care of" Robin said to them.

"Robin, please be careful, with todays events so far who knows what else might happen. We cannot afford any casualties, you know that, we are to few in numbers as is against the enemy." Will said

"I understand your concern Will, but if I don't get her to Marian's soon she may die and then we won't know who we are up against. I'll be careful, now go and get her horse before it gets into trouble, in turn getting us into more trouble" Robin replied, as he urged his mount towards Marian's house.

~~~

Marian was out in her garden working on her embroidery, as rather dull and useless thing in her opinion but it did make her father happy. She sighed wishing that she could be out riding or practicing her archery; she wasn't your normal highborn lady who liked to sit at home and be content with idle gossip while sipping on tea. She was happy spending her days pouring over her fathers accounting books, or out riding in the forest with Robin and his men.

Since Marian's mother had died while she was still a young girl, her father had raised her to the best of his knowledge, never being able to quite say "no" to his little girl. So when she had shown an interest in mathematics, politics, and archery he indulged her. Only when she became of age to start courting did he start to wonder if he should have sent her away to a school for young ladies. She was far smarter than most of the village boys, and she did have her love for adventure, something that most of the village girls found repulsive. The only boy who had not cared that she was just as fast and just as smart as him was Robin. They had spent their childhood together, spending as much time with each other as possible. He had taught her how to shoot a bow and arrow, and she in turn helped him with mathematics. All the villagers would give each other knowing glances when the two of them were out with each other, looks that neither Robin nor Marian understood until they were older.

Marian sat there recalling one of her favorite memories with Robin, it seemed just like yesterday that it had happened.

_ "Marian, come out and play with me" Shouted a young Robin, from beneath a young Marian's window._

"_I can't, not today, I told you!" Marian exclaimed while walking over to the window_

_ "Child, hold still! Your father will be here any minute, with the new baroness!" exclaimed the maid in frustration. Honestly this child couldn't hold still for more than three seconds._

"_You look like a girl!" young Robin said in disbelief as young Marian appeared in the window. _

"_That's what I am, you half-wit!" Marian replyed_

"_Yeha, but today you look it!" Robin threw back at Marain._

"_Boy or girl I can still whip you!" She said as she turned around and ran down the stairs to chase after Robin. _Marian laughed out loud as she remembered that she had indeed 'whipped' poor Robin. She had thrown him the mud and he had been covered head to toe with only his eyes showing, and she had ruined the brand new dress that was made for her to wear so she would look like a little lady for her father new wife.

"_Papa! Your back, I'm so glad you've returned, I've missed you dearly." Marian had shouted as she ran towards her father. Her father, bless his heart, didn't seem to care that she was covered in mud, leaves and twigs, just as he had left her._

"_Marian! I had hoped to present a little lady, but look at you exactly the way I left you. What happened?" He asked her_

"_Robin challenged me, he said that because I was dressed like a girl I couldn't whip him. So I slaughtered him!" She replied._

_Robin came up the drive dragging his feet and looking ashamed and miserable, but she saw the mirth in her father's eyes, and the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.*__  
><em>

Marian was broken from her train of thought when she thought she heard Robins whistle. Since they could not be seen with each other they had come up with the idea that he would whistle like that of their native Robin Red Brest, and she a Blue Tit*, when Robin was near her house, or near her and needed to speak with her. They had come up with this idea shortly after Robin had come back from the holy land only to be labeled as an outlaw and therefore unable to meet his love in plain sight.

She paused, not sure if she heard the call correctly, but there it was again. She looked around her to make sure no one was around and headed off in the direction of the woods that were behind her house. As she neared the woods she let out the call of the Blue Tit again and waited for the reply of the Robin. What seemed like minutes passed and then she heard someone approaching from up ahead just beyond a small cluster of ash trees. She held her breath, it was only her love Robin approaching. She ran up to him and threw her arms around him, oh how she had missed him. He returned her embrace but only slightly, and that concerned her.

"Robin, what is it, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Marian I need to ask you a favor, there is a young woman that I have with me, she is badly injured and needs a healer. With me being the outlaw I am I can't exactly walk into town and take her to the healer. I need her to stay someplace safe, and away from prying eyes, I couldn't think of a better place than here. Can you take her in, until she is healed? I will take her back to camp after she is healed, but her wounds concern me and I don't want to risk her dying of complications because I wasn't able to get her the proper care." He explained rather hurriedly.

"Robin! This is a big risk; you do know that Gisborne has been visiting me almost daily? What if he see's her, what am I to say to him?" She countered

"Tell him you found her like this on the side of the road to the village. It's believable, in more ways than one. Please Marian, I can't keep her in the camp, not yet. I'll reimburse you for the healer, I promise!" He begged her, giving her his best sad face.

"Alright fine. But you'll owe me big time. Now we just need to figure out how to get the two of you inside the house with out being seen, or recognized."

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><p>1. Quote from Ever after, I thought it fit perfectly with this version of Robin and Marian.<p>

2. Blue Tit is a bird that is found in England. I did my homework on this one and thought that it would be a fitting bird for Marian. They do reside in the woods, preferring to nest in holes in the oaks, or mixed woodlands. I got the information via googling Blue Tit and clicked on the wikipedia link

Please R&R I am really trying to write at least a single chapter a day :)


	7. Lodi

5/1/1208

The king seems to be in a better disposition today, I suspect that he has found a new mistress to keep him happy since I do not seek him out. He grew upset after I started refusing him into my chambers…but I am jumping ahead of my self in my story, after all a story has a beginning a middle and an end, does it not? So I had best stick to telling my story in that order, no question while I continue telling you my tale my friend.

As I mentioned the king's right hand man, who is also my spy, had informed me that the king had suspected me of adultery. I would say the King should look at him self-first if he is to start accusing anyone of adultery, but that doesn't seem to matter in this world. I never understood that, why was it acceptable for the King to have lovers, and mistresses while Queen was not? I know of one Queen who was rumored to have many lovers in her life time, but that might have been different because Queen Elizabeth "The Virgin Queen" never married. She ruled England and Ireland with out a King. Besides, the only man that I want, I can never be with, so long as John is king. I have thought about going to John and explaining to him that I would never cheat on him, but have thought better of this idea and have been trying to behave as a 'proper queen' would.

Today was the first of May, and the kingdom spent the day celebrating with games and fun fair for all ages. I was asked to go out with my husband and partake in a few of the games to show the people that all was well with their leaders and that John cared about his people enough to come and partake in these festivities. My children were able to go and play with the other children in these games as well, and for once my husband seemed to not mind that the children were playing with commoners or peasants. It was a beautiful day, with the sun shining down on us from the bright blue sky, with an early summer wind blowing gently down upon us. John was smiling and laughing and seemed to be genuinely happy today, it was an enjoyable relief from his most recent mood swing.

I was asked by some of the villagers to help pick a Queen May who would watch over the crops until they were harvested, I had to look to my husband for permission of course and when he said for me to go and enjoy my self I had to restrain my self from jumping up and down with joy. I hadn't been allowed to really interact with the common folk since our wedding and my coronation, making me Queen Consort. The villagers told me that I was to pick from a group of single ladies and to present her with a scepter, that was made out of corn husks and oak branches. I picked a young lady who was of average height, with soft features that were highlighted by her dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. The villagers seemed happy with my choice and then escorted the young lady to a make shift throne on a small stage, where she was able to watch the games for the rest of the day until it was time for the may pole and the jumping over the fire festivities to begin. I have to admit I was slightly nervous about attending the May Day festival because of my husband's extreme hatred of Robin Hood, as you may recall friend that they May Day games were said to have originated from a time before Europe was Christianized, and one of the themes is to have a king Robin and a queen Marian. I couldn't remember at the time of the festival when that tradition took place, only later this evening did I recall that the king Robin and queen Marian was during Elizabethan times 1558-1603 often recalled as the golden era of England, I needn't have worried.

The dancing around the May pole was exciting, it is supposed to be only the single men and women grab a ribbon and dance opposite directions of each other, but I was once again asked to partake in this event, and since my husband was other wise engaged in talking with one of his knights I decided to go ahead and accept their request, besides it was only a dance with the village folk what could possibly go wrong? The scene is still fresh in my mind, my children were nearby eating something that looked to be very messy, as it was all over their faces, a small band had stuck up a dancing tune and we had started to dance around the May Pole. Then I heard it, a Robin's whistle, I thought nothing of it at first since it was spring time and there had been pleanty of birds around flittering in and around the festival; but then I kept hearing it. A single thought ran through my head ROBIN! I couldn't believe what I was hearing or thinking, I had not seen Robin in over five years, since my marriage to Prince John. I tried to keep my composure as my brain tried to process this information, Robin here? I casually looked to where my husband had been and was relived to see he was still deep in conversation, then I saw a familiar face in the crowd, or so I thought, for when I came back around the May Pole that face was gone.

I shook my head and thought to my self the heat must be getting to me, as soon as this dance was over I would go retire to the shade. But that face, it looked so much like Much, and that bird call it just had to be Robin. What was he doing here though, did he not know my husband had a reward on his head, dead or alive? There was that whistle again, I would never know if my mind was playing tricks on me or not unless I tried answering that call. As the rest of the villagers were laughing and singing I replied to that Robin Red Breast call with the Cetti's Warblers, I was rewarded with another call of the Robin Red Breast, this time much closer than I had dared to hope for. I looked around I still couldn't see him, but I saw Will's face in the crowd this time, were they all here, and if so why?

Form directly behind me this time I heard the call I spun around only to find a villager, not Robin. My spirits fell, my mind had been playing tricks on me, how foolish I was to think that after years of refusing to hear from him that he would suddenly now show up out of the blue. I needed to get my head out of the clouds and back on the ground where it belonged. The ribbons were at an end and the tradition was that who ever you ended up being tied to was your lover for the night, after all the May Day festivals were that of fertility. Being the queen though I wasn't expected to participate in this part, my husband would have that mans head served on a silver platter, and I wasn't one to cheat on my husband, no matter how un happy I was. I had to always remember it wasn't about me and my happiness, it was about Robin and keeping him alive so he could bring King Richard back from the crusades and restore peace back among the people, and maybe someday bring me happiness by declaring Robin an Earl again and not a outlaw.

I had a young boy approach me after the couples started to wander off with each other saying that if I would please follow him that there was someone who wanted to see me. I thought that maybe one of the village ladies wanted something from me so I followed him, Robin still in the back of my mind. The young boy led me a small hut near the back of the village away from the main part of the celebrations, he asked me to put a blind fold on so that it would be a surprise as to who wished to see me. I wasn't worried that it might be a trap, he was to sweet of a boy to be in with thugs. I let him lead me inside, and after a few moments of him leading me he told me to stop where I was and wait. I heard some shuffling of furniture around, and some whispers. Then I sensed more than I hear someone behind me, they reached up and untied my blind fold, I turned around and saw to my surprise Robin standing there!

I couldn't help my self and I forgot who I was and where I was for a few minutes, I threw my self into his arms, and started kissing him. I had missed him so much, I missed his touch, him smile, his voice, everything about him I had missed. After a few intense moments I came back down to earth and remembered who I was and where I was. I asked him what he was doing here, and if he realized that if he was seen here today, especially with me that he would be killed! He shouldn't be here it was too risky, had he lost his mind? I was glad that he was alive and seemed to be doing well, and I was overjoyed that I was here with him but I couldn't stay long for if my husband found out I was missing we were all in trouble, and I couldn't jeopardize my children's lives. He told me he had to see me one last time before he left for the holy land to bring back King Richard and that he still loved me.

* * *

><p>Ok so for any updates and or information for this story please check out my blog on wordpress sn ffamasquerade2005.<p>

I am still looking for a beta reader for this story, please let me know if you are interested. I am alway open to ideas, suggestions... you can pm me here or feel free to leave a review. I do have to admit, that I have had new idea on how I wanted to write Summer Rain, but instead of taking it all down and then reposting I am making my self finish the story the way I started out and then maybe go back and re-write it the new way I was thinking...Does anyone else get that itch to just take it all down after awhile and re do everything?


	8. Array of Light

Array Of Light

Robin had disguised him self many times before and had always thought it rather fun to pretend to be someone you weren't for a little while. But never in his time as an outlaw, or in the Kings service, had he dressed as a woman! Robin still couldn't believe he let Marian talk him into this, she claimed it was the only way to get Arianna inside with out raising suspicion among the servants, he thought she was simply getting pay back for something he had either said, or done, in the past.

"Robin!" Marian hissed, smacking him upside the head. "Stop daydreaming and help me carry her inside. Honestly, do I have to do everything my self?" She huffed with her hands on her hips.

Robin gently picked up Arianna, whom Marian had changed into one of her working dresses, and followed Marian out of the woods and towards the house. As soon as the trio were near the house a male servant, who had been tending the garden, rushed towards them "My Lady, are you alright? Your father was worried about you! Who is this?" he asked, looking at Robin and Arianna.

Robin looked at Marian, he hadn't thought of what they would say to people other than they had found Arianna on the side of the road. Thankfully, Marian was ahead of the game on this one. "I was leaving the market place this afternoon when I saw this young lady injured on the side of the road. This woman, she gestured towards Robin, agreed to help me bring her home and fetch a healer."

"Lady, please allow me to carry her inside for you, for it is quite the distance from the market to here." The servant stepped towards Robin with his arms stretched out. Robin took a step back and held Arianna closer to him, "Thank you, but I've carried her this far, what's another few steps?" Robin answered in his most lady like voice he could muster. The male servant gave Robin a disapproving look, and mumbled a "As you wish".

Marian turned towards the man who had just spoken, "Matthew, go and fetch the healer and bring him here at once, we will take this woman up stairs to my bedroom." The man gave a small bow and left towards the healers house.

"Quickly now before someone else, such as Gisborne, comes along!" Marian whispered to Robin.

"You know, it's been sometime since you invited me into your bed chambers Marian" Robin said teasingly as they made their way into the house and up the stairs towards Marian's room.

"If you want to get your self killed by my father for insinuating such things, keep talking as loud as you are and I am sure your wish will be granted. Also, I've never invited you in, you've always snuck in, there is a difference" Marian shot back, as she opened up the door to her room. "Now put her on the bed and then you can leave."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Robin asked wriggling his eyebrows at her, he always did know how to get her flustered, another talent he figured he could add to his list.

"Oh you insufferable man! If I had something to throw at you I would, then maybe it would wipe that smirk off your face" Marian spat at him. "Now if you don't mind I need to get some rags and hot water so I can start cleaning her wounds…Robin, does she have a name?"

"Arianna" he replied, the smile falling from his face and turning into a frown, her name is "Arianna". Robin moved aside as Marian went in search of some rags and a basin for the hot water. "We came across her in the forest when we ambushed The Sheriff and Gisborne, they had taken her as prisoner for some crime, either real or imagined. She saved Will during the scuffle, she knew how to handle a sword, and that beast of hers, he was a sight to see! Hoofs flailing in the air, attacking on command, it was if he could read her mind Marian, it was simply incredible! After the scuffle was over D'jaq startled her horse and Arianna scolded D'jaq by name. No one had mentioned any names, other than mine, I thought perhaps she was a spy of some sort and asked how she knew D'Jaqs name. She grew panicky after I started questioning her, and before I knew it she had started to flee. Naturally I chased after her, for why would she flee if she was not guilty? However, with her naturally secure seat, she and her steed moved in perfect harmony. The obstacles in their path seemed to simply melt away, much to my frustration mind you.* Her only mistake was when she looked back at me, taking her eye's off the path ahead, that's when she was knocked from her saddle and hit her head on some rocks that decided to break her fall" He explained to Marian.

"Someone who was better than you in horsemanship? That's a first. But her fleeing, and her odd clothes dose raise some suspicion as to who she is, and whom she might be working for. I know that sometimes I wear men's pants when I go riding, but they are not made out of the same material as her pants. Despite these enigma's, she still needs a doctors care, no matter who she is, or whom she is working for." Marian explained as she and Robin walked down stairs to fetch some hot water, so they could start cleaning Arianna's wounds. Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs Marian's father, Edward, appeared "Where have you been, and who is this?" He demanded as he looked at Robin. Marian had a dreadful habit of randomly disappearing for long periods of time, especially when she was supposed to be attending an outing with Gisborne.

"I went for a walk down to the market, and along the way back I found a young woman who had been injured, and this kind woman (she gestured towards Robin), helped me carry her back here so she could get medical treatment" Marian quickly explained. "Now if you'll please excuse us father, we need to get some hot water to start cleaning her wounds until the healer arrives" and with out waiting for an answer Marian brushed past her father with Robin following close behind.

~/~

Soon Matthew returned with the local healer following behind him. "My Lady, I have brought you the healer as you requested. Is there anything else you require?" he asked.

"Not at this moment, thank you Matthew, you may go" Marian replied. She then turned her attention to the healer.

"Thank you for coming so quickly Mr. Desslar, it is much appreciated"

"Your quite welcome Marian, now lets take a look at our patient shall we? Can you tell me what happened to her" Mr. Desslar replied while starting his examination of Arianna.

"She fell off…" Marian started to say before Robin cut her off.

"What we think happened is that she fell off something high, possibly a horse" Robin finished. If the healer thought it was odd that Robin should cut Marian's sentence off before she could finish, he did not say so, instead he kept his focus on Arianna.

Mr. Desslar checked Ariaana's head, where she had hit it on the rocks, and made a "tsking" sound as he poked and prodded around it a bit. He moved on feeling her arms, sides, legs, checking for broken bones and internal injuries. Thankfully he found no broken bones or internal injuries, which meant this young woman was lucky if she indeed had fallen from a horse.

"Her head wound will need stitches, and kept clean. Other than a few minor scrapes and bruises I can find no broken bones or internal injuries, she is very lucky if she did fall from a horse. If you could fetch me a match, and some hot water I will stich the wound" Mr. Desslar said to Robin and Marian.

"Here is some hot water, rags and box of matches" Marian replied to the healer.

"Thank you." Mr. Desslar said, as he grabbed a rag and dunked it in the hot water to start cleaning Arianna's wound. When he was satisfied with the cleaning of the wound he pulled a match from the matchbox and stuck it until it caught fire. He then held the match under the needle for a few moments, to sterilize it. He then pulled out some thread from his bag, threaded the needle, and began to stich up the wound. During this time neither Marian nor Robin said a word to each other, they simply watched the healer with anticipation as he finished up his work.

As Mr. Desslar finished sewing closed the wound, he spoke to Marian "be sure to keep this area clean to prevent infection. If it does become infected you can apply this tonic (he gestured with his head to the table where a blue vial stood) two to three times a day, directly on the infected area it's self. She should also be kept quite for a few days as the wound was pretty deep, and with any type of head trauma, there can be damage to the brain that we won't know about until she awakens. If there become any issues, you know where you can find me. I'll see my self out, no need to show me to the door." And with that, Mr. Desslar picked up his bag and left the room.

~/~

I dreamed such a strange dream I thought to me self as I started to wake. I dreamt that I had traveled back in time, and met Robin of Locksley, ran away from him; he had thought I was a spy, and had fallen off my horse during the chase…I couldn't wait to tell my friends about this crazy dream! I opened my eye's, sat up and took in what was around me, this room wasn't my room, and why did my head hurt? I touched the back of my head and felt stiches…the dream, it couldn't have been real could it? Just then an elderly lady came into with a basket of clothes on her hip. As he put it down on a chair next to what I assumed to be the closet, she looked over to the bed and saw that I was awake, she spoke to me with an accent that I couldn't quite place.

"You're awake now? The mistress will be pleased to know this, I will go and inform her at once." And before I could answer her question she had left the room.

I wondered just who her mistress was, and why I was wearing a dress when I had been wearing my riding attire earlier. Who had stitched my head up, had I really met Robin hood? My head started to hurt even more as question up question started to pop up in my mind. I heard footsteps shortly after the old woman left a young woman (late twenties early thirties) came into the room.

She had long mousey brown hair that curled towards the ends. She had a nice, clear, smooth complexion. Her eye's were a very pretty blue grey, which was unusual because most people with brown hair had brown eyes. She had a slender build and looked to be around 5' 7", a little shorter than myself.

"I'm happy to see you're awake. We were concerned that you might not wake after sustaining such an injury." She paused for a moment and then continued "How is your head, is it painful? If it is I have some medicine here that will help ease the pain."

"Thank you, but it's not that painful. I'm sorry I don't want to seem rude, but **who** are you, and **where** am I?" I asked.

"My name is Marian, and you are in my house. After you were injured, you were brought here so you might receive medical treatment. The healer said you were lucky that nothing was broken, considering the spill you took. And what might your name be?" Marian asked me.

I looked at Marian in astonishment, this couldn't be _THE Maid Marian_ from Robin Hood could it? If it was then all this was real, Robin Hood was real, the Sheriff and Gisborne were real…My vision started to swirl as I took in everything that had happened.

"Are you alright? You look pale all of a sudden." Marian asked me.

'Yeha I'm GREAT! I just found out that I somehow traveled back in time, pissed off one of the most powerful men in Sherwood, caused Robin of Locksley to think I'm a spy, fell off my horse running away from Robin, and now I'm in your house…I'm just fuckin' great!' I thought to my self…

"I'm fine, just trying to take everything in is all. It's all a little confusing to me right now, some things are blurry and I can't quite make them out. My name is Arianna, Arianna O'Conner." I told her.

"Arianna, that's a pretty name. Not a very common name around here, where are you from anyway? Your accent tells me you've either spent a great deal of time in Ireland, or you are Irish. Given your hair, and complexion I'd say your Irish. Am I correct?" Marian asked me.

"Yes." I replied, I didn't give her where in Ireland I was from, or what time period, at this point I wasn't sure if I could trust her not to turn me into Gisborne, who would gladly hand me over to the Sheriff…

"I feel I have asked you enough questions today, would you like me to bring you something to eat? After you eat you should rest, the healer did advise to get as much rest as you could, to help speed up the healing process. If you are up to it tomorrow, I have a friend who would like to meet you" she stated.

I smiled sheepishly, "I am a little hungry, now that you mention it. I have to ask though, are you _**The Maid Marian**_, the one whom the legends of Robin Hood talk about?" I asked her, I knew I was taking a big risk, but I just had to know so I could figure out my next move.

She looked concerned at my question " I am maid Marian, but I do not know these legends you speak of. Robin and I were childhood friends before he left for the crusades, he is an outlaw currently." She skirted around my question. "I will go and get that soup I promised you." She said as she got up and walked towards the door.

* * *

><p>This chapter took forever! It was a total of four pages long, and I kept re-writing parts of it because I wasn't happy. The next chapter is going to be even harder to write!<p>

Chapter title is a song by Joe Bongiorno

As always reviews are welcome, and looking for beta reader!

* Thanks to Kaylla Tuinega for helping me with that sentence!


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